This exhibition is now closed

The Moon and the Manor House

12 November 2021 –
18 September 2022

Aestheticism, Arts and Crafts, and the avid pursuit of beauty.

The late nineteenth century Aesthetic and Arts and Crafts Movements saw artists make the pursuit of beauty and ‘art for art’s sake’ their highest goals. Eager to advance common taste – and against a swelling tide of uninspiring of Victorian era industrialised production – they also sought to elevate appreciation for the handmade. Japan’s opening to the West had an enormous impact, as did a shift in art school training that encouraged nature study as a vital source of inspiration. Ongoing cultural flow between hemispheres saw many British artists and teachers coming here, and New Zealand-born artists studying, working and living abroad.

Curator:
Ken Hall

Location:
Monica Richards Gallery

Exhibition number: 1123

Related

Director's Foreword
Director's Foreword

Director's Foreword

Welcome to B.207, the autumn edition of Bulletin. Like the rest of the country, the Gallery has been operating under the Government’s Red traffic light setting since late January. It has to be said that art galleries are, in general, pretty good places in which to practice social distancing. However, while we remain open and welcoming visitors, the recent surge in the Omicron variant of Covid-19 is affecting our ability to schedule our programme. Our team are working hard to continue bringing you a range of exhibitions, events and activities, but as we are all finding throughout so many areas of our lives right now, planning (in the short, medium and even long term) remains tricky. It’s an evolving situation and, reflecting this uncertainty, I encourage you to keep an eye on our social media channels and website for updates.

Continued

Commentary
The Arts and Crafts Movement at the End of the World

The Arts and Crafts Movement at the End of the World

It is interesting to ponder how makers involved in the Arts and Crafts Movement might respond if they were able to see their works on display in galleries today. While exhibitions on a range of scales were central to the Arts and Crafts, and played a key role in how its ideas and objects reached new audiences and took root across the world, today’s retrospective explorations of the Movement are to some extent testament to the fact that it never revolutionised art and life to the extent that its protagonists had initially hoped.

Continued

Sir Alfred East The Moon and the Manor House c. 1894. Oil on canvas. Collection of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, bequeathed by Hayden R. I. Fraser, January 1975